The world’s 10 most annoying travel habits revealed (No. 1 will make you cringe)

Bare feet, loud chats and post-landing claps—this global survey reveals the travel habits most people secretly admit to doing themselves.

• Travelers admit to annoying habits like chatting, shoe removal, overeating, according to a new global survey.
• Nearly half talk to strangers; 29% admit removing shoes on planes.
• Travelers often exhibit behaviors they dislike in others, study finds.

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We’ve all been there—halfway through a flight, finally comfortable, when that passenger strikes. The seat reclines too far, shoes come off, or someone starts chatting like it’s a café, not a packed aircraft at 35,000 feet. Travel may broaden minds, but it also brings out some surprisingly irritating habits.

A new global survey by Saily, a company that offers mobile data plans for travelers, has put numbers to these shared travel frustrations, revealing the most common annoying travel behaviours worldwide—and here’s the twist: these are habits travellers openly admit they themselves are guilty of.

How the survey was conducted

Saily surveyed nearly 7,000 adult travellers across seven countries—the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Japan—over a two-week period from November 17 to December 2, 2025. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 74, with each country contributing over 1,000 participants, except Spain, which had 804 respondents.

The survey explored three key areas: the annoying travel habits people openly admit to practising themselves, the tourist behaviours they find most irritating in others, and whether they would actually intervene and ask a stranger to stop. Together, these insights offer a refreshingly honest look at how we behave once we leave home—and just how easily we manage to annoy each other along the way.

Based on combined global responses, these are the habits travellers most frequently confessed to:

1. Talking to strangers while travelling (46%)

Nearly half of respondents admitted to striking up conversations with strangers—often on planes. Friendly for some, exhausting for others trying to sleep or disconnect.

2.Taking off shoes on planes or public transport (29%)

Few things divide travellers more than bare feet in shared spaces. What feels comfortable to one person can feel inconsiderate to everyone else nearby.

3. Only speaking one’s own language (28%)

While understandable, many travellers admitted they make little effort to communicate beyond their native language, which can frustrate locals and fellow tourists alike.

4. Scrolling phones instead of enjoying the view (27%)

Ironically, many travellers confess to missing the very moments they travelled for—choosing screens over sunsets, landscapes or landmarks.

5. Overeating at all-you-can-eat buffets (26%)

Buffets bring out the worst instincts. Many respondents admitted piling plates unnecessarily high, often leading to food waste.

6. Urinating in the sea, lake or ocean (22%)

Uncomfortable but honest—over one-fifth admitted to doing this, despite knowing it’s unhygienic and frowned upon.

7. Standing up immediately after landing (20%)

The seatbelt sign goes off, and suddenly half the plane is upright—despite nowhere to go. A universal irritation, apparently widely practised.

8. Clapping when the plane lands (18%)

A gesture of relief for some, a cringe-worthy moment for others. Still, nearly one in five admitted to joining the applause.

9. Using both armrests in aisle or window seats (18%)

A classic plane faux pas, yet one many travellers knowingly commit for comfort.

10. Reclining seats too far back (17%)

The eternal airline debate—how far is too far? Many admitted pushing boundaries, even when it inconvenienced the person behind them.

Self-awareness, at 35,000 feet

What makes the survey especially interesting is that these aren’t necessarily the behaviours people hate the most—only the ones they were honest enough to admit doing. Most of the top irritations also occur during transit, highlighting that airports, planes and trains are where travel manners are tested the most.

The findings suggest one thing clearly: we are often the annoying traveller we complain about. A little awareness, courtesy and empathy could go a long way toward making journeys smoother for everyone.

Because the next time you’re rolling your eyes at someone else mid-flight, chances are—you’ve done something just as annoying on another trip.